General information about Autism Spectrum Disorders, including Asperger Syndrome, can found in the links at the bottom of this page.
The following rather long excerpt builds the case for taking a strength-based approach when working with students with ASD:
"While a lot of attention concerning autism spectrum disorders focuses on negative behaviours (e.g., hand flapping, emotional meltdowns, avoidance of eye contact), there are a number of positive attributes associate with ASD that are less well-known but that deserve to be highlighted. People on the autism spectrum tend to be particularly skilled at perceiving details as opposed to whole gestalts. Children with ASD do better than their typically developing peers, for example, on the block design test of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV), which represents taking blocks that are all white, all red, or mixtures of red and white and putting them together to match a preexisting pattern (Shah & Frith, 1993). They also do better than neurotypical children on the embedded figures test, which requires subjects to sample geometric shapes embedded in more complex patterns or drawings (Baron-Cohen, 1998; Shan & Frith, 1993).
Essentially, people with ASD are "Where's Waldo" experts: They're able to pick out the seemingly irrelevant details that others miss. This ability has led some researchers to suggest that individuals with autism experience what has been termed "weak central coherence" - that is, they fail to grasp the whole of a situation and perceive mainly the constituent parts. But this is a deficit-oriented way of putting things. A more positive way of saying the same thing is that individuals with autism possess "strong local analysis" - or what some researchers refer to as enhanced perceptual functioning (Mottron, et. al, 2006). This ability helps explain why the IQ scores of children with autism are 30 to 70 percentile points higher when a highly figural IQ test like the Ravens Progressive Matrices is used to measure their intelligences rather than a test this is more verbal and interpersonal such as the widely used WISC-IV (Dawson, Soulieres, Gersbacher, Mottron, 2007; Mottron, 2011).
According to Cambridge University researcher Simon Baron-Cohen, individuals with ASD are also particularly good at what he has termed syntemizing (Baron-Cohen, 2003). Baron-Cohen suggests that there are intrinsic gender differences between people who are "empathizers" on the one hand (mostly female), and those who are "systemizers" on the other (mostly males). Emphathizers have built-in sensitivities to the moods, intentions, and thoughts of other people. These are faculties that autistic individuals have great difficulty displaying. On the other end of the spectrum, however, there the systemizers - individuals who may not relate well to people, but who love to engage with systems such as machines, computer programs, mathematical equations, drawing or languages. Males tend toward the systemizing end of the spectrum: They are more likely than females to enjoy talking about football games, working with machines, and spending time with computers.
Baron-Cohen suggests that individuals with autism are at the extreme end of the systemizing continuum. This fascination with systems can be as rudimentary as a nonverbal child's obsession with a rotating fan or as sophisticated as a high-functioning teen's ability to master an abstract computer language. Baron-Cohen's theroy helps to explain the existence of savants among autistic populations: Indeed, 10 percent of all individuals with autism are said to have savant qualities (Treffert, 2009). Savants are individuals who can, for example, rapidly calculate numbers, quickly draw complicated visual scenes, or play complex musical pieces from memory.
Given the strengths associated with ASD, there may be good reasons why the genes for autism are still in the gene pool. In prehistoric times, it might have benefited a tribe to have some members with an acute sensitivity to small details - who could look, for example, at two circles at a distance and tell whether they were two berries or two eyes of a predator. Similarly, it would have been advantageous for a tribe to have members who were expert systemizers, especially when it came to understanding such systems as taxonomies of healing herbs, weather patterns, or methodologies for creating shelters or inventing hunting tools.
These traits aren't limited to the prehistoric past, however: We need people who can fix machines, design computer software, repair automobiles, work on plumbing, engineer bridges, and do a thousand other systems-related tasks. Temple Grandin has said that it was her autism that allowed her to zero in on the minute perceptions that pigs and cattle pay attention to in order to create animal machinery that is humane and effective (Grandin, 2004). We need likewise regard the special interests and gifts of our students with autism as potential doorways to school and career success" (Armstrong, 2012, pp. 72-74).
Greenspan and Weider developed the Floortime model to facilitate social learning and regulation for children with autism. This approach is in keeping with social learning theory and facilitates intrinsic social motivation in children rather than the traditional approach with children with autism of relying on external rewards rooted in the concept of behaviourism. "Basic elements of the model include observation, opening circles of communication, following the child's lead, extending and expanding play, and letting the child close the circle of communication" (Armstrong, 2012, p. 77). This kind of approach requires strong caregiver attunement and extensive one-on-one time with the child. To extend this type of approach in to a classroom, the classroom would have to be one that involves a lot of hands-on learning, centers, inquiry or project based learning, role playing, and the use other active learning approaches. Lectures, worksheets and rote learning methods would offer little opportunity for a student with autism to work on developing critical social regulation skills.
Strength-based learning strategies support student regulation. When working with students with autism spectrum disorders, thoughts to keep in mind related to strength based learning strategies include:
embed special interests in to student learning
use visual presentation methods such as video, power points or models
use hands on manipulatives to teach concepts in mathematics and science classes
emphasize details before presenting the "big picture" (e.g., start a lesson on sharing by having students watch videos or do role plays about sharing and then move to the lesson on sharing being a good way to make friends)
ensure as much regularity and routine as possible
consistent use of schedules, calendars, agendas, visual routines
use graphic organizers when teaching new concepts
respect the desire of students with autism to work independently/alone
provide a quiet area where the student is able to periodically get away from the stimulation of the classroom
clearly define spaces and how to organize them (e.g. place to but work, shelf space, desk, locker...etc.)
offer a variety of methods to express including pictures, movement, drama and model-making
model appropriate behaviours with role play, video, photos
teach appropriate responses and self-control strategies (scaffold learning as needed)
use games to practice social interactions such as turn taking, rule following and communication
bring in different machines or mechanical items to be explored
use multi-sensory learning to teach academic skills (bookmaking, clay work, musical recordings) keeping in mind sensitivity to sensory input
incorporate frequent opportunities for communication in (e.g., turn-and-talk on regular basis during lectures) (Armstrong, 2012, pp. 79-81)
It is important to be aware of the need to manage the environment and make environmental modifications to ensure optimal regulation for students with autism spectrum disorder. This may include making headphones or earplugs available to drown out background noise, making a quiet space to work or take a break available, using tennis balls on chairs to eliminate noise of chair movement, making things like weighted vests and sensory tools available, considering alternate lighting (florescent lighting is difficult for some students with autism to process) and allowing for frequent movement breaks.
Students with autism may have difficulty communicating which makes it important for those who work with them to learn to "read" them. Attunement is an important factor in ensuring regulation for this population of students.
Autism Briefing Sheet"This sheet provides initial information about Autism for those who want a brief introduction. It provides references to some key texts about the condition."(Complex Learning Difficulties and Disabilities Research Project)
Autism Classroom Support Sheet"This sheet provides ‘must have’ basic information about Autism for staff newly needing to work with a young person who has Autism." (Complex Learning Difficulties and Disabilities Research Project)
Autism Information Sheet"This sheet is for those who would like to follow up the topic of Autism in greater depth. This sheet provides more information with further references."(Complex Learning Difficulties and Disabilities Research Project)
Kids Matter A great website of resources, links and awesome videos.
Autism Spectrum Disorders
General information about Autism Spectrum Disorders, including Asperger Syndrome, can found in the links at the bottom of this page.
The following rather long excerpt builds the case for taking a strength-based approach when working with students with ASD:
"While a lot of attention concerning autism spectrum disorders focuses on negative behaviours (e.g., hand flapping, emotional meltdowns, avoidance of eye contact), there are a number of positive attributes associate with ASD that are less well-known but that deserve to be highlighted. People on the autism spectrum tend to be particularly skilled at perceiving details as opposed to whole gestalts. Children with ASD do better than their typically developing peers, for example, on the block design test of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV), which represents taking blocks that are all white, all red, or mixtures of red and white and putting them together to match a preexisting pattern (Shah & Frith, 1993). They also do better than neurotypical children on the embedded figures test, which requires subjects to sample geometric shapes embedded in more complex patterns or drawings (Baron-Cohen, 1998; Shan & Frith, 1993).
Essentially, people with ASD are "Where's Waldo" experts: They're able to pick out the seemingly irrelevant details that others miss. This ability has led some researchers to suggest that individuals with autism experience what has been termed "weak central coherence" - that is, they fail to grasp the whole of a situation and perceive mainly the constituent parts. But this is a deficit-oriented way of putting things. A more positive way of saying the same thing is that individuals with autism possess "strong local analysis" - or what some researchers refer to as enhanced perceptual functioning (Mottron, et. al, 2006). This ability helps explain why the IQ scores of children with autism are 30 to 70 percentile points higher when a highly figural IQ test like the Ravens Progressive Matrices is used to measure their intelligences rather than a test this is more verbal and interpersonal such as the widely used WISC-IV (Dawson, Soulieres, Gersbacher, Mottron, 2007; Mottron, 2011).
According to Cambridge University researcher Simon Baron-Cohen, individuals with ASD are also particularly good at what he has termed syntemizing (Baron-Cohen, 2003). Baron-Cohen suggests that there are intrinsic gender differences between people who are "empathizers" on the one hand (mostly female), and those who are "systemizers" on the other (mostly males). Emphathizers have built-in sensitivities to the moods, intentions, and thoughts of other people. These are faculties that autistic individuals have great difficulty displaying. On the other end of the spectrum, however, there the systemizers - individuals who may not relate well to people, but who love to engage with systems such as machines, computer programs, mathematical equations, drawing or languages. Males tend toward the systemizing end of the spectrum: They are more likely than females to enjoy talking about football games, working with machines, and spending time with computers.
Baron-Cohen suggests that individuals with autism are at the extreme end of the systemizing continuum. This fascination with systems can be as rudimentary as a nonverbal child's obsession with a rotating fan or as sophisticated as a high-functioning teen's ability to master an abstract computer language. Baron-Cohen's theroy helps to explain the existence of savants among autistic populations: Indeed, 10 percent of all individuals with autism are said to have savant qualities (Treffert, 2009). Savants are individuals who can, for example, rapidly calculate numbers, quickly draw complicated visual scenes, or play complex musical pieces from memory.
Given the strengths associated with ASD, there may be good reasons why the genes for autism are still in the gene pool. In prehistoric times, it might have benefited a tribe to have some members with an acute sensitivity to small details - who could look, for example, at two circles at a distance and tell whether they were two berries or two eyes of a predator. Similarly, it would have been advantageous for a tribe to have members who were expert systemizers, especially when it came to understanding such systems as taxonomies of healing herbs, weather patterns, or methodologies for creating shelters or inventing hunting tools.
These traits aren't limited to the prehistoric past, however: We need people who can fix machines, design computer software, repair automobiles, work on plumbing, engineer bridges, and do a thousand other systems-related tasks. Temple Grandin has said that it was her autism that allowed her to zero in on the minute perceptions that pigs and cattle pay attention to in order to create animal machinery that is humane and effective (Grandin, 2004). We need likewise regard the special interests and gifts of our students with autism as potential doorways to school and career success" (Armstrong, 2012, pp. 72-74).
Greenspan and Weider developed the Floortime model to facilitate social learning and regulation for children with autism. This approach is in keeping with social learning theory and facilitates intrinsic social motivation in children rather than the traditional approach with children with autism of relying on external rewards rooted in the concept of behaviourism. "Basic elements of the model include observation, opening circles of communication, following the child's lead, extending and expanding play, and letting the child close the circle of communication" (Armstrong, 2012, p. 77). This kind of approach requires strong caregiver attunement and extensive one-on-one time with the child. To extend this type of approach in to a classroom, the classroom would have to be one that involves a lot of hands-on learning, centers, inquiry or project based learning, role playing, and the use other active learning approaches. Lectures, worksheets and rote learning methods would offer little opportunity for a student with autism to work on developing critical social regulation skills.
Strength-based learning strategies support student regulation. When working with students with autism spectrum disorders, thoughts to keep in mind related to strength based learning strategies include:
It is important to be aware of the need to manage the environment and make environmental modifications to ensure optimal regulation for students with autism spectrum disorder. This may include making headphones or earplugs available to drown out background noise, making a quiet space to work or take a break available, using tennis balls on chairs to eliminate noise of chair movement, making things like weighted vests and sensory tools available, considering alternate lighting (florescent lighting is difficult for some students with autism to process) and allowing for frequent movement breaks.
Students with autism may have difficulty communicating which makes it important for those who work with them to learn to "read" them. Attunement is an important factor in ensuring regulation for this population of students.
Neurological Information
--